


My True Self (Adopted)

by NMFergus, youseenothing



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Altean Lance (Voltron), Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-06-21 06:49:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15552042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NMFergus/pseuds/NMFergus, https://archiveofourown.org/users/youseenothing/pseuds/youseenothing
Summary: Hi! I adopted this story from NMFergus, who wasn't comfortable with completing the story, and will be updating it soon!





	1. Chapter 1

Another day, another fight with the Galra. Lance, along with his two alphas, had been resting in their nest, made by Lance, in their room when the alarms went off. Lance groaned and snuggled into Shiro, who chuckled at the omega. “I don't wanna go~!” Lance whined.

Shiro kissed his forehead. “You know we have to.”

Lance turned to whine at Keith, but the smaller alpha was already out off bed and getting suited up. Lance groaned. “Fine, but I expect extra cuddles when we get back.”

Keith and Shiro chuckled. Soon all of them were suited up and off to the bridge. The other two paladins were already there with Allura and Coran.

“There you three are! Lotor along with several small fleets are approaching the ship. Get to your lions and prepare to battle.” Allura started prepping the castle's defences and weapons. The paladins traveled to their respective lions, then flew out into space, ready to face the opposing threat.

It didn't take long for Lotor and his fleet to arrive. Instantly the paladins were thrown into a fighting frenzie.

Hunk slammed his lion into the smaller ships, barreling through them while also destroying them with his lion’s mouth. Pidge flew quickly around the ships, using her cloaking to an advantage to surprise ships as she blasted them. Shiro used his jawblade to slice through the ships, turning them into fiery infernos. Keith used his lion’s speed to his advantage as he flew past ships, clawing and shooting them as he went.

Lance stuck to shooting the ships, but was having a little trouble. He soon realized that most of the ships were aiming toward him.

“Uh, guys? Is it just me or are most of the ships after me?” Lance asked over the com unit.

He heard some typing, then Coran spoke. “Lance is right. A majority of the ships are aiming toward the blue lion.”

“Why would they be aiming for Lance?” Pidge asked as she shot some more ships.

Before any of them could reply, a face appeared on their screens, but it wasn't an ally.

“Hello paladins.” Lotor smirked. “I know you are busy with fighting some of my army, but I have a proposition for you. Give me the dark skinned and blue eyed beauty, and I'll call off my army.”

“We'll never let you lay a hand on the princess!” Lance yelled.

Lotor chuckled. “I don't want the princess. I want you, blue paladin.”

Everyone froze.

“Lance? Why do you want Lance?” Pidge asked.

Lotor grinned. “I have many reasons, but I will say, I have grown fond of the blue paladin.”

Keith and even Shiro growled.

“We’ll never let you have him!” Keith yelled. Lance was his mate. He would be damned if he let anyone lay a hand on him. Besides Shiro, that is.

Lotor tisked. “I will have what I want. I gave you a chance, but it looks like I'll have to use other means.” The prince disappeared from view.

“Don’t worry Lance, he’s not taking you,” Shiro reassured. He’d be damned if one of his mates was taken from him.

“Yeah, he’ll have to get through us!” Keith growled.

Lance nodded. “I’m not planning on going anywhere without a fight.” He winked, trying to hide the fact that he was really freaking out. If it weren’t for the fact that they were all in their lions, they would be able to smell the salty and seaweed smell Lance was producing.

Just then, more ships appeared, including several battle cruisers.

“Quiznak!” Pidge swore.

The paladins continued fighting, unable to group up to form Voltron. Instead of the galra attacking Lance though, they all focused on the other paladins, almost avoiding the blue paladin. Lance was so concentrated on trying to get into battle, he failed to notice the ship sneaking up behind him.

Blue let out a cry to alert Lance, but all he would do was turn around before he was blasted by an ion cannon. Lance cried out as he was thrown from his chair and Blue went offline. He was surprised, and extremely grateful, that Blue was still in one piece.

“Lance? Lance!?”

Lance faintly heard the others calling to him. Shiro and Keith especially. It was all he could do to stay conscious though, as a small stream of blood fell from his head.

Suddenly, Blue was moving, as if being pulled by a giant magnet. Lance put all of his strength into sitting up and crawling into his seat. A few seconds later Blue came back on, with a picture of Lotor on the screen.

“Hello blue paladin. I apologize for the rough ride, but it will be over soon. And don’t worry about your team, my army is keeping them busy. I’ll be there to greet you once we reach another galaxy.” The screen disappeared and Lance was left in silence.

Lance wasted no time in trying to contact the others. “Keith? Shiro? Is anyone there?” No answer. “Allura? Coran?” Still no answer. “Pidge!? Hunk!?” He was still met with silence. “Blue…?” He weakly called out.

Lance sighed in relief when he felt Blue’s presence in his head. “We’ll get out of this mess somehow.”

Blue purred, sending calming images into his head, helping him relax slightly.

Lance took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. When he pulled his hand back, there was blood. “Shoot, I should bandage this.”

He slowly got up and went back to get the first aid kit he kept in Blue and pulled out some gauze. He wrapped it around his head, making it tight as he could without cutting off circulation. “Not the best, but it will have to do for now,” he muttered.

Lance felt Blue jerk forward, then was still again. He took a deep breath, then relaxed and looked through Blue’s eyes. He could see that they were floating in space still, and there was no one else around besides the ship above him that held Blue in a beam of light.

“Quiznak, we must have warped…” Lance muttered. He pulled his helmet back on and tried to contact someone again, but all there was was static.

Lance groaned and sat back in his seat. “Looks like it’s just me and you Blue.” As soon as Lance said that, he felt Blue start to move up. He looked back through his lion’s eyes, and saw that they were being pulled into the ship. “Gosh dang it!”

When they were completely in the ship, Blue was still in the beam when the doors opened and to figures walked into the room. Lance kept watching them through Blue, fearing that if he stopped for a second, something bad would happen.

The figures stopped right in front of Blue, revealing themselves to be Lotor and Haggar.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance was glad that he was in Blue because he did not want to be anywhere near the two Galra. He watched as the two tried to touch Blue, but luckily she could still put her shield up. They seem frustrated with that.

‘Good,’ Lance thought, ‘At least they can’t try to get in.’

The two seemed to argue about something before Haggar pointed at the lion. Lance paled when he noticed purple lightning sparking from her hand before it shot at Blue. His connection with Blue was suddenly cut off which caused Lance to jerk back. The Cuban realized in horror that Blue had shut down.

Lance swore to himself and looked for somewhere to hide. Realizing that he had nowhere to hide, he summoned his bayard and aimed at where they would enter. They had another thing coming if they thought he would go quietly.

He could hear them as they entered into Blue and made their way to the cockpit. Lance counted down in his mind till they would get there. Finally, the footsteps stopped, and someone entered the cockpit.

Lance wasted no time in trying to shoot them down, but they had activated their shield. Based off of that alone, he knew it was Lotor. He kept firing at the shield, hoping to damage it enough that it deactivated.

It was when he felt a presence behind him that he remembered that Haggar would teleport.

Lance fell forward, paralyzed, as Haggar used her magic on him. He could see Lotor deactivate his shield and stand out of the corner of his eye.

“Just what I’d expect from the blue paladin.” Lotor walked over and crouched down beside Lance. “An excellent fighter. And, by the smell of you, you’re an omega. You’re just what I need for a mate.”

“I already have two wonderful mates that you could not even start to compare to!” Lance was happy to find that he could still talk even though his body was paralyzed.

Lotor chuckled. “I'll change your mind eventually. Till then, Haggar will run some non-lethal test on you.” He picked Lance up and held him in his arms. “Hm, you're really light...maybe you should eat more.”

“Humans are supposed to be light. The Champion was after all, and he was in peak condition,” Haggar mumbled.

Lance tried his best to struggle out of Lotor’s grasp, but he couldn’t move an inch. He gave up on that and decided to do the next best thing. “Fuck you guys! Once my team finds me you two are so dead!”

Lotor and Haggar both laughed. “Silly paladin. They won’t be able to find this ship even if they search entire galaxies. I will make sure of that,” Haggar threatened.

Lance did his best to glare at them as he was carried out of Blue, continuing to cuss them out.

\-----

To say that Keith and Shiro were pissed would be an understatement.

Once the Galra were finally started to retreat, everyone was cheering until they noticed something missing. Lance. They had called out to him and looked around, yet he was nowhere to be found.

The two alphas had landed their lions then stormed to Allura and Coran, demanding to know where Lance was. When the two Alteans couldn’t track him or Blue, chaos ensued. Hunk and Pidge had walked in to see Shiro and Keith in a rage.

Keith, everyone could predict. He wasn’t the best at controlling his instincts or emotions. Shiro though, he was usually the calm and collected one. The one who thought things through. He was in a rage just like Keith though.

“If that asshole thinks we’ll just let him get away with taking our Lance, I have news for him! As soon as I see him, I’m going to rip his throat out!” Keith yelled.

Shiro was silent but was radiating rage. “Coran. Pidge. I want Lance found. Now.”

Pidge and Coran followed the alpha’s order, too scared to resist. They both hopped on their computers and started typing away.

Allura took a deep breath, then hesitantly approached the two fuming alphas. Hell, even she was scared of him at this point! “Shiro, Keith, might I suggest you go to the training room? We’ll let you know if we find anything right away.”

“What do you mean if!?” Keith growled.

Allura bit her lip, starting to sweat. “I mean, when, we find something.”

Shiro took a deep breath. He seemed to calm down slightly, but he was still tense, like he could pounce at any moment. “Tell us as soon as you find him.” He didn’t say anything else, but there was an underlying threat in his words that everyone understood. With that, he dragged Keith with him to the training room.

When the two alphas left, everyone relaxed slightly.

Hunk sighed. “This place reeks of burnt cotton and pollution now.”

“I can understand where they’re coming from though,” Pidge spoke. “Lance is their omega, and we didn’t even notice him get taken. Plus, the whole Lotor liking Lance thing…”

Allura shook her head and sighed. “We need to find Lance. The sooner the better. I’m concerned about not only his safety, but what Shiro and Keith might do.”

“Don’t worry Princess, Number 5 and I will get this sorted out!” Coran gave Allura a thumbs up, not looking away from the screen in front of him.

“I sure hope so…” Allura whispered, looking out one of the windows.


	3. Chapter 3

Lotor had taken Lance to an extravagant bedroom and left him on the bed. Lance was glad that he was alone for a little bit, but he still couldn’t move. He was hoping he would be able to regain control of himself before Lotor came back, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.

Instead, Lance was forced to stare up at the light purple canopy that covered the top of the bed. He tried casting his mind out to Blue, but it seemed like she was still shut down. The omega started thinking about the others, and how they were doing. They had probably noticed that he was missing by now, right?

Lance thought about how Shiro and Keith must be feeling right now. Knowing Keith, he was most likely going crazy, but Shiro? Lance had no clue about how he was reacting right now. Probably cool and collected on the outside but stressed out on the inside. Of course, that’s how he always was.

“As soon as I can move, I’m punching Lotoad in the face,” Lance promised to himself. He sighed and closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for whatever may happen.

\-----

Lance hadn’t even realized that he had fallen asleep till he woke up to feel someone stroking his hair. At first, he relaxed, thinking it was Shiro or Keith, till he caught the person’s scent. Lilacs and moss. No one in his pack smelled like that.

Lance’s eyes shot open as he jerked up, turning to see Lotor sitting in the bed next to him. The Glara prince smiled. “Hello, Lance. Nice to see you awake.”

Lance shuddered when he heard his name come from Lotor’s mouth. He briefly glanced around to see he was still in the bedroom. This time he was able to see that there was a dresser with a mirror, a desk, a couch, a wardrobe, and what looked like a walk-in closet. He looked back at the half Galra on the bed.

“I would love for us to stay in this room and talk, but I promised the witch she could experiment a little on you as soon as you woke up.” Lotor stood and stretched, then headed over to Lance.

The blue paladin reached down to summon his bayard, but then realized he was only in his undersuit. Of course they would take his armor. Instead, he did the next best thing and got into a fighting stance. While he was definitely better long range, Shiro and Keith had been teaching him hand to hand combat and how to defeat someone stronger than himself. Especially an alpha, which Lotor was.

Lotor chuckled. “While I find your fighting spirit cute, we don’t really have the time for this.” He charged forward faster than Lance expected, catching the blue paladin off guard. Lance barely had time to dodge as Lotor swept at his feet.

Lotor reached forward and grabbed Lance’s arm, then twisted it behind his back. Lance cried out in shock as he was pinned to one of the walls.

“Hmm, maybe when you’re ready to be my mate, I’ll teach you how to fight better,” Lotor offhandedly commented as he held both of Lance’s arms behind his back and started dragging him out of the room.

“Quiznak you and your fighting skills!” Lance yelled as he struggled in Lotor’s grip.

Lotor tsked. “Such language. Not very appropriate for an omega such as yourself.”

“¡Te mostraré jodido lenguaje!” Lance shouted and managed to flip off the alpha.

Lotor raised an eyebrow, pausing. “I have no clue what you just said, but I have a feeling it wasn’t nice.”

Lance snorted. “You think?”

Lotor sighed and ushered him forward. “Soon, I will have your heart. It will take time, but I will have it.”

Lance’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Good luck with that Lotoad.”

Lotor chose to ignore that as he took Lance to a room with a table in the middle of it. He forced Lance down, getting some scratches and bite marks thanks to the feisty paladin, and strapped him down. He stood and smoothed out his clothes as Lance cursed and struggled.

Lance was honestly terrified at this point. He had no clue what Haggar had in mind for him, but he knew it wouldn’t be good. Was he going to get a limb replaced like Shiro? Multiple limbs? He sure hoped not.

The door opened and Haggar stepped in. She went over to Lance and looked him over. “I would have preferred if you had taken his suit off.”

Lotor rolled his eyes. “You could have told me that before I took him here.” He undid the top restraint and held Lance down as he started to take the paladin’s suit off.

Lance’s eyes widened as he struggled against Lotor’s grip. “Uh, I think not! Let go of me!”

“It’s either this or I cut it off,” Lotor threatened.

“How about neither!” Lance was starting to release a rotted fish and seaweed smell.

Lotor scrunched up his nose and continued stripping Lance till he was just in his underwear. Lance tried to shrink up, filled with embarrassment and shame. He didn’t want to be almost completely naked in front of two of their biggest enemies.

Haggar pulled out a potion from under her robes and uncapped it. “Hold his mouth open.”

Lance clenched his jaw, not wanting to get even a drop of that in his mouth. Lotor grabbed Lance’s mouth and forced it open with his Galra strength. Lance tried to move his head, but Lotor held him still as Haggar poured the potion into his mouth.

Lance choked on the liquid and started coughing. Lotor released the Cuban boy when he was sure that he swallowed all of it. “What the hell did you just make me drink?”

Haggar observed the boy’s body, ignoring his question. Slowly, starting from his toes, Lance started glowing blue.

“Did you just make me radioactive!? Am I going to turn into a mutant?” Lance looked over himself the best he could. The glowing only lasted for about half a minute before it stopped and Lance’s skin turned back to normal.

“Interesting…” Haggar muttered. “I’m going to need a blood test. Lotor, hold him still.”

While she went to get a needle, Lotor held Lance still yet again. “Um, I do not give consent to this? And how much blood are we talking? Humans need blood to survive you know.” Lance knew he was rambling, but he couldn't stop. It was his coping mechanism.

Haggar approached him with a small needle and took some blood. She gave Lotor something to bandage Lance up while she went to a computer.

Lance glared at Lotor as he bandaged his arm. “Just so you know, I hate both of you.”

“For now. You will learn to love me,” Lotor replied as he finished.

Haggar chuckled. “Just as I thought…” She pulled the results from the computer onto a big screen. Lance saw an outline of a human, and a bunch of Galra writing he didn’t understand. An eighth of the body was colored in blue while the rest was purple.

Lotor skimmed over the screen. “Hmm, this explains a lot.”

“Hey, I know that you guys like to be all mysterious and shit, but want to explain what’s going on?” Lance glanced between them, not expecting an answer, but brimming with curiosity.

Lotor smirked at Lance. “According to your blood results, you Lance, are part Altean."


	4. Chapter 4

Pidge yawned as she leaned back against Coran, still typing away at her computer. “Have you found anything Coran?”

She heard Coran sigh and slump slightly. “Negative. I tried tracing the blue lion in every way I could think of, but nothing is working. They must be blocking the signal.”

Pidge blinked as her vision went wonky, then focused them again. “I’ve tried to get a signal on his armor, but I’m getting the same thing as you.”

The door opened and both looked up to see Hunk entering with plates of food. “You guys must be hungry. I don’t think I’ve seen you two leave this room since Lance was taken.” He set the plates down by the two exhausted tech geniuses.

Pidge gave him a grateful look and dug into the food.

Coran sighed and nodded. “We’re both honestly too scared to leave the room in fear of Shiro and Keith. It’s not that we don’t want to find Lance, because trust me we do, but it’s getting a little hard with those two breathing down our backs.”

Hunk nodded. “Yeah. I get that. Hey, since I delivered everyone’s dinner, well, I left Keith and Shiro’s outside the training room, I’ll help you guys now.” He sat down next to Pidge and grabbed a different computer.

“Just so you know, we already tried tracking Lance’s armor and the blue lion. Right now I am trying to see if I can track any Galran communications that mention Lance,” Pidge mentioned.

“I’ll help you with that then,” Hunk got comfy and started looking through communications.

“I’ll continue searching for signals from the blue lion,” Coran said as he yawned.

In the training room, Shiro and Keith were sparring against each other, not going easy. They were both sweating and panting, but they continued. Shiro made a grab at Keith and pinned him down, putting his full body weight on the younger alpha.

Keith panted heavily as he looked up at Shiro. Shiro stared back at him, gasping for breath. They were both exhausted. Shiro sighed and touched his forehead to Keith’s. “We should take a break. We need to be ready when the others find Lance.”

Keith glanced to the side. “He shouldn’t be missing in the first place. We should have been there for him!”

Shiro nodded. “I know, and once Lance gets back we’re going to make it up to him in whatever way we can.” He stood and held out his hand to Keith.

Keith grabbed Shiro’s hand and pulled himself up. “Who knows what that bastard is up to though? We should be out there looking for Lance instead of just hoping we can track him!” Keith started pacing, getting more worked up. He was just radiating burnt cotton. “We can’t lose him, Shiro. I can’t lose him!” He whirled around to face the older man. “I can’t lose another person I love!”

Shiro pulled Keith into a hug, stroking his hair. “I know, I know. We’ll find him.” He continued to hold Keith as his shirt was stained with tears.

\-----

Lance paced around what was dubbed his and Lotor’s bedroom. It had been what he thought was three days since Haggar had revealed his heritage. He still couldn’t believe it. He was part alien? And Altean at that?

Lance stopped and glanced at the door. Lotor had left a few hours ago, saying he had to attend a meeting. Honestly, the less of him he saw, the better Lance felt. The past few days had been weird with Lotor trying to court the blue paladin.

Lotor would come in and shower him with gifts and praises; saying how beautiful and elegant he was, and trying to get him to wear dresses. Lance didn’t really mind wearing dresses, but he did not feel comfortable wearing anything Lotor had given him.

Luckily the half Galra had enough decency to let Lance shower in peace, so he didn’t smell that bad.

Lance sighed and sat down on the couch. He still wasn’t able to connect with Blue, and his armor was kept far away from him. “What I wouldn’t do to talk with Shiro and Keith…” The more he thought about his mates, the more his heart broke. He wanted to snuggle in Shiro and Keith’s arms while they laid in his nest. He also wanted a nest.

Lotor had tried to coax him into making one, but Lance’s instincts were going crazy and he didn’t feel safe enough to make one.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Lance looked up when the door opened and Lotor walked in. “Hello, Kitten~.”

Another thing Lance hated was the nicknames Lotor called him.

Lotor sat down next to the Cuban boy and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Those nobles are insufferable. It takes a lot out of me to not snap at them.” He looked at Lance. “Enough of that though. You get to leave the room today because I have a surprise for you~!” Lotor practically sang.

Lance cringed away from Lotor. “I don’t want it.”

Lotor raised an amused eyebrow. “Even if it’s letting you talk to your teammates?”

Lance looked at Lotor with shock and confusion. “What? Really?” He didn’t want to get his hopes up, but Lotor had yet to lie to him.

Lotor chuckled. “Yes, but, you have to change your clothes. I’m not letting you leave here in that old suit.” He stood and made his way over to the wardrobe and skimmed through it.

Lance grimaced and watched as Lotor pulled out a blue crop top and skirt duo. The top had no sleeves but two straps came out of the top to wrap around the neck. It was bedazzled in silver sequins. The skirt was most likely made out of silk and had a slit in the side. Lance hated to admit it, but Lotor knew how to pick clothes.

“I’ll let you change in peace,” Lotor said as he draped the clothes on the bed and headed to the door. “Knock when you’re done.”

Lance sighed when Lotor left and headed to the bed. He didn’t want to dress in these clothes, not at all. He felt like he didn’t have a choice though as he changed into the revealing outfit. He hid his suit under a pillow, then looked himself over in the mirror.

Lance definitely looked good, but he didn’t want his teammates to see him wearing this. Especially Keith and Shiro.

The blue paladin went to the door and knocked on it, signaling he was done. Lotor opened the door and looked him over, smiling.

Lance rolled his eyes. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Lotor smirked. “I don’t need to when I’ll have you for a long time.”

Lance stuck out his tongue. “The others will find me.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Lotor grabbed Lance’s hand and kissed it gently, before leading him away from the room.

Lance’s face twisted in disgust and looked away from Lotor. At this point, he felt like he’d rather be tortured.

Lotor lead him into the same room as before, only there was a comfy looking chair near the table. Lotor ushered Lance into the chair and instead of leather straps, he handcuffed him with handcuffs that were chained to the floor. Lance figured he’d be able to move about halfway across the room before the chains stopped him.

“Alright, I’ll give you about ten minutes to talk to them before I come back,” Lotor told Lance as he hit some buttons on a keyboard below the big screen in front of Lance. “Only ten minutes though.”

\-----

Coran yawned. He was honestly about to pass out. The ginger stood and stretched, hoping that moving around a little would help him stay awake longer. That’s when the communication line started ringing.

Pidge and Hunk looked up from what they were doing to watch as Coran answered it. Both of them jumped up though when they saw who was on the screen.

“Lance!”

Coran immediately went to the speakers. “Everyone come to the bridge now! Lance is on screen!”

Hunk looked over Lance, making sure he wasn’t injured. He was surprised to see the clothes Lance was wearing, and the fact that he looked unharmed.

Lotor stepped into view, smirking. “Hello, paladins. Well, the two of you that are there. I’ll be fair and start the timer once everyone arrives.”

Just as Pidge was going to ask what timer, the doors burst open and two soaking wet and disheveled alphas ran in. “Lance!” They both yelled at seeing their mate on screen.

“Keith! Shiro!” Lance grinned, happy to see his mates. They looked ridiculous, but he didn’t care.

Allura finally ran in, the mice on her shoulder. “Lance! You’re alright!”

Lotor chuckled. “Yes, I had made sure that he has been well taken care of. He had an unfortunate cut when I took him out of his lion, but it’s healed now.”

Keith and Shiro snarled at him. “Give him back!” Keith yelled.

“Hmm, I’m going to say no. I will allow you to talk to him though. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” Lotor ran a hand down Lance’s face and whispered in his ear, then walked away.

Lance shuddered, but stood and moved closer to the screen. “Guys! I’m so glad to see you!”

Keith and Shiro moved past the others to get closer. “Lance, are you alright? What has he done to you? Has he touched you?”

“And what are you wearing?” Pidge asked.

“Are they feeding you enough?” Hunk asked.

Lance sighed. “I’m alright for the most part. Lotor hasn’t touched me that much besides caressing my face and grabbing my arms. He keeps trying to sleep in the bed with me, but I kick him out so that he sleeps on the couch. He also kept trying to get me to wear different dresses and jewelry. The only reason I’m wearing this is because he wouldn’t let me leave the bedroom until I wore it.”

“Bedroom?” Allura questioned.

“Yeah, he’s making me stay in his bedroom. It’s covered in purple.” Lance groaned. “Have you guys been able to find out where I am yet? I’ve mostly been kept in the bedroom besides when Haggar ran some tests on me.”

Shiro went pale at the mention of tests and Haggar. “Did she hurt you at all? She’s not...she’s not planning on…”

“As far as I can tell, they want to keep me intact. Although...I did find out something…” Lance looked at Coran and Allura.

“What is it?” Coran asked.

Lance sucked in a breath. “I couldn’t really read the screen, cause it was in Galran, but Lotor told me what it said. I’m-” Lance suddenly looked to his side and cursed.

“Lance?” Keith couldn’t keep the panic out of his voice.

The paladins and Alteans paled when Haggar stepped into view. She wore a wicked smirk as she locked her gaze with Shiro. “Hello, Champion. I thought you were a good test subject, but your mate is even better.”

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Shiro yelled. “If you even lay a finger on him I will rip out your throat!” Shiro wasn’t usually like this, but he was terrified and panicking. He didn’t know what he would do if Lance got hurt in the same way he did.

Haggar cackled. “There’s a reason you’re the Champion. I am surprised though that you did not find out about this one’s heritage though.”

Lance paled and swallowed. He didn’t know how Allura and Coran were going to act to the news.

“Lance’s heritage?” Pidge questioned.

Lotor came into view of the screen and wrapped his arms around Lance, causing the latter to shudder. “I was honestly surprised myself. I think it would be more fun to show you rather than tell you.” Lotor pulled Lance back into the seat and held him there.

“Get your hands off of him!” Keith yelled. Lance was his. He would be tearing Lotor and Haggar to shreds if he was there.

The two ignored the paladins as Haggar moved closer to Lance. Putting her hands on each side of Lance’s head, her hands started to spark with purple electricity.

“Lance!” Hunk yelled, moving right next to the two alphas. Keith was growling while Shiro watched with wide eyes.

At first, Lance felt nothing, but then, it felt like his ears were stretching painfully, and his cheeks started burning like they had been touched to hot metal. He bit his lip, but that didn’t stop the whimpers of pain from escaping his mouth and the tears that formed in his eyes. His whole body felt like it was getting stretched and squeezed together.

He barely heard his team crying out his name, trying to ask him what was happening. And, as soon as it had started, it was over. Lance was shaking and panting as he looked up at his teammates, only to hear them gasp in shock.

Lance’s hair had turned mostly white except for some light brown highlights, his ears were longer and pointed, and finally, he had blue marks under his eyes.

Lance looked fully Altean.


	5. Chapter 5

Allura and Coran stared in shock. There, right on the screen, was another Altean. The others were stunned too. Lance was Altean?

“L-...Lance?” Hunk asked. Lance looked up at them. He looked so tired, like all his energy was drained.

Lotor chuckled and caressed the omega’s cheek. “Yes, it turns out that he is part Altean. Interesting, isn’t it? And Haggar here was able to bring out that part.”

Shiro and Keith growled. Their senses were starting to take over; especially for the latter. “Don’t touch him! Get your filthy hands off of him and give him back or else I will track you down and rip your head off!” Keith yelled.

Lance glanced to the side, then smiled slightly at Keith. “You’re always so impulsive. I promise you guys I’ll escape and find you guys. Hunk, hay dos estrellas gigantes y un campo de rocas. I love you guys.”

The transmation shut off.

Pidge looked at Hunk. “What did he say?”

Hunk thought. “Something about two big stars and a rock field?”

“A location! He was sending a message about where they were!” Coran exclaimed before running to his computer.

Hunk and Pidge went to help him, while Allura looked over to the two other paladins. Shiro and Keith were in a corner, talking to each other. By the looks of it, they were fighting. Deciding she didn’t want to get in the middle of that, Allura instead went off to do some of her own research.

\-----

After the transmission cut off, Lotor grabbed Lance’s face and forced the now-Altean to look at him. “What did you say?”

Lance grinned slightly. “What are you talking about?”

Lotor glared at him. “What did you say in that other language?” His tone was sharp and held slight accusation.

“I told the yellow paladin to take care of my alphas till I escape. Because I am going to escape.” Lance smirked. It was a believable lie and was half true.

Lotor stared at him before slowly releasing his face. “It’s time to go back to our room.” He unchained Lance and pulled him up. Lance was worn out from the transformation, so he barely had the energy to walk, let alone fight again Lotor’s strong grip.

Lotor didn’t say a word on the walk, and instead just pulled Lance into bed with him and held him close. Lance, who was drained of energy, fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Keith paced back and forth across his room, growling. Shiro sat on the bed, watching the smaller alpha.

"We need to go after him! Who knows what Lotor is doing to him right now!?" Keith turned and snarled at Shiro.

Shiro shot him a glare that would make most people submit. His gaze was cold and his voice sharp. "Coran, Pidge, and Hunk are looking for him right now. We will wait till they are done."

Keith crossed the room in a second and pulled Shiro up by the collar of his shirt. "Damn it, Shiro! We can't wait! Don't you care about Lance? What Lotor might be doing to him right now!?"

Shiro snarled at Keith, something he had never done before. He grabbed Keith's shoulders and squeezed them tight. "Of course I care about Lance! He's our mate for fuck's sake! I want him back as much as you do, but for now, it seems like he's not being hurt, and we can't just go around attacking every Galra base. What if we attack one they're near and they flee? We need to locate them, then we'll attack."

Keith growled and looked away, crossing his arms. "Fine. But as soon as we find them, we are attacking and getting Lance back."

Shiro sighed and patted Keith's shoulder. "Let's go get something to eat. We haven't eaten since that battle."

Keith slowly nodded, and the two headed to the kitchen.

\-----

 

Lance awoke to the sound of a gentle purring in his mind. He immediately knew it was Blue and smiled in relief.

Blue was flooding him with images of concern and comfort. He sent back that he was alright for the most part, and filled her in on what she had missed. In return, Blue became furious, and Lance was sent images of frustration at being trapped and anger at Haggar and Lotor.

Speaking of the prince, Lotor pulled Lance closer and mumbled in his ear. “I’m glad you’re awake. I have something planned for today. We’re going to go out on a date.” He caressed Lance’s cheek.

Lance shuddered. “And what if I say no?”

Lotor chuckled. “Funny that you think you have a choice.” Lotor sat up and stretched, then stood.

Lance glanced at him. Maybe he could escape when they went outside? He could try to knock Lotor out or something. Maybe he could do it right now.

Lance slowly got up and grabbed a lamp that was on the nightstand. Lotor was digging around in wardrobe, trying to decide on what he would make Lance wear. Lance took a deep, calming breath, then swung at Lotor’s head.

Lotor whipped around and grabbed Lance’s hand. “That’s not very nice dear. You make it very hard to love you sometimes. But don’t worry, I’ll never stop.” He pulled the lamp from Lance’s hand and gave him a tight hug.

“Let me go you creep!” Lance yelled, wiggling around. His arms were pinned at his sides, but he could tell Lotor was having a hard time keeping them there.

“Calm down dear. We’re going to have a relaxing day.”

Lance felt a prick in his neck. He looked to see a needle sticking out of his neck that had a yellow liquid in it. “What the...cheese…” He felt himself becoming numb and stopped moving.

Lotor chuckled and pulled the needle out once it was empty. “Don’t worry. It’s just something that will keep you calm and submissive for a while. It takes effect fast I’ve noticed. Perfect for unruly omegas.”

Lance wanted to speak, but he couldn’t. All that could get past his lips were weird noises. He cast his mind out to Blue, but the connection was becoming weaker with every passing second. Blue? Who was Blue? Lance didn’t know anymore.

“I didn’t want to resort to this, but you forced my hand. I love you, Lance. I need you to be mine.” Lotor gently stroked Lance’s face, admiring the smoothness of it.

Lance looked at Lotor. Who was this again? He said that he loves him. “Who are you?” And why was his skin purple?

Lotor chuckled. “It’s me love, your mate. Lotor.”

It was coming back to him now. He had two mates. Lance nodded. “And who’s our other mate?” Lance had two mates, right? Lance could have sworn he had two alphas.

“There is no one else. It’s just us and our love.” Lotor kissed Lance’s cheek.

Lance blinked. Oh yeah. He only had one mate, and that was Lotor. His alpha. And they were in their bedroom. He smiled and kissed Lotor’s cheek. “I love you.”

Lotor grinned. “I love you too. Now, let’s get ready for our date.”

\-----

Lance hummed to himself as he sat behind Lotor, braiding he latter’s hair. They were currently sitting on a blanket and were surrounded by fields of rocks, only interrupted by the Galra ship and a purple lake. Lance’s mind still felt cloudy, and he had a hard time remembering things. Like, for example, how he met his mate. He remembered something about a battle, but that was it.

“Honey, can you remind me how we met?”

Lotor nodded slightly. “You and I met in battle. Both our species were coming together to fight Voltron, and their traitorous leader, Allura. She herself was the same race as you, Altean. She was actually the princess of Altea. But she wanted more. She and her army tried to conquer the galaxy. Allura has four generals, the Green, Yellow, Red, and Black Paladins. I saved you from the Black and Red Paladins when they tried to attack you, and we’ve been attached ever since. Unfortunately, even with my army and others trying to help, Altea was destroyed. You are one of the only survivors, the others being Allura and her advisor Coran.”

Lance felt nauseated. How could he have forgotten that? The destruction of his civilization? They were going to pay. Especially Allura, Shiro, and Keith. Lance froze. Shiro and Keith? Who were they?

Lance shook those thoughts away when he was pulled into Lotor’s arms. “It’s ok my love. We are still working to beat them, and we will soon. Plus, you are not completely alone. My mother was Altean while my father was Galran. I’m half Altean.”

Lance looked up at Lotor and smiled. At least he had his amazing mate. He pulled Lotor in for a kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Allura groaned and slammed the book that she was reading shut. From what she had heard, Earth had been for the most part untouched by other aliens, so how was it Lance was part Altean?

She sighed and grabbed another book. The cover and binding worn to the point that the words written on the front were unreadable. Allura took her chances and opened the book, ready for disappointment. Her eyes widened though when she read the first paragraph.

_It is time to begin my journey. My brother, Alfor, and our parents were against it, but I needed to leave. I am going to explore the galaxy and record my findings in this and other journals. I miss Altea already, but I know that I will stop by occasionally. Of course, with this, I forfeit the crown, but Alfor has always shown more potential than me._

This was her uncle's journal. Allura had heard about how he explored the galaxy but never got the chance to meet him before Zarkon turned on betrayed everyone. She continued reading.

_I plan on sending copies of my journals to the castle whenever I finish them, to share what I have learned. I know Alfor will enjoy them._

_It's time to head out on my ship. I will write again once I see something spectacular._

_Allura got comfortable, knowing she would be reading for a while._

\-----

Shiro rolled his shoulder, trying to ignore the aching caused by his prosthetic. He and Keith hadn’t been sleeping well, and that was starting to take a toll on them. With their omega missing, lack of sleep, and all the stress, they were constantly snapping at everyone, including each other. He leaned back against a pillow, glancing at Keith. He was glad Keith was able to fall asleep.

So, when Allura started shouting over the speaker for everyone to meet in the kitchen, he was not in the best mood. He practically radiated irritation as he and Keith entered the kitchen. He noticed everyone else was already there, and they stiffened when they caught sight of him and Keith.

“What’s going on? Is there an update on Lance?” Keith asked, leaning against Shiro.

Allura glanced between the other alphas and the betas, seeming to try to calm down and compose herself. “Yes and no. We have narrowed down the places Lance could be, and we are pretty sure he’s on a planet. Along with that, I have found out about Lance’s heritage, and I know who his great-grandfather is.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. He was glad they narrowed down Lance’s location, and it was interesting that Allura figured out something about Lance’s heritage, but…

“Well, if you narrowed it down some, can’t you narrow it down more right now? Lance’s heritage can wait!” Keith yelled, glaring at everyone.

Pidge growled, not something she did often. “Hey! We’ve been working nonstop for several days, and did work that should have taken weeks in hours! We need a break or else we won’t be able to help Lance at all when we do find him!”

Keith was going to respond, but Shiro grabbed his shoulder. “We could all use a short break I suppose. We can eat while Allura goes over what she found.” Keith looked like he wanted to argue, but didn’t say anything.

Allura sighed in relief, and everyone slowly sat down except for Hunk. He started cooking what would be lunch.

“So, it started when I found one of my uncle’s journals. He was an explorer and rarely visited. He did send journals about his experiences back to the castle, however. One tells how he didn’t get the news about what happened to my father until it was too late. In response, he traveled to a planet where he thought time moved faster for him than most of the universe so he could grieve. He got it wrong though. Time moved slower for him while the universe moved faster around him. By the time he left the planet, almost 10,000 years had passed. 9,859 to be precise.” Allura looked up to see if everyone was still paying attention. They were.

“Keep in mind, Alteans live longer than you humans. So, seeing that he had made that mistake, he traveled to see what had changed. He came across a planet with blue oceans and green land, with creatures that were similar to him, but had no markings and had ugly ears.”

“Earth…” Pidge whispered. “Wait, Allura. Are you saying that your uncle is…?”

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, confused and surprised by the news.

Allura nodded. “He met a human woman with dark skin and deep blue eyes. He instantly fell for her, and together they had several children. After that, there no more entries I could find. I believe that based off of all the evidence…”

“Lance is your cousin!” Hunk yelled out.

“First cousin twice removed to be exact,” Pidge corrected. “This is fascinating.”

Shiro and Keith shared a look, then Keith muttered, “Lance was pining after his own cousin when we first came here.”

The humans shared a look, and for the first time in a while, they laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

Lance laid on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He’s been so confused and conflicted lately. First of all, his memories were all messed up and he constantly had to ask Lotor questions, which luckily the half-Galran didn’t mind.

Second, he constantly felt a presence in the back of his head that he had been pushing against. Lance was too nervous to bring this up to his mate, not wanting to add more to his plate. It still concerned him though.

Third, why did he know about the Red and Black paladins’ names when he was never told them? The best he could come up with is that he had heard their names in the past during the war.

The presence was there again, pushing at his mind, trying to get in.

‘Go away!’ Lance thought. It was worth a try in his opinion.

The presence persisted, pushing harder than before. Lance groaned and rolled on to his side. Out of ideas, Lance stopped pushing and let the presence in. It couldn’t be that bad, right?

Immediately, he was flooded with images of relief and something else. Something...motherly. He got the image of a lion. A blue one. It was trapped in the ship. It was calling out for him, beckoning for him to come.

Lance didn’t even realize that he had gotten up till he bumped into Lotor at the door.

“Lance? Where are you going?” Lotor asked, gently grabbing Lance’s arms.

Lance blinked and shook his head, then looked at Lotor. “I...I don’t know. There’s something in mind. Something telling me to go to it. A...a blue lion?”

Lotor furrowed his brows. “Is that so? Give me a minute, then I’ll go with you, alright?”

Lance nodded and kissed Lotor’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Lotor smiled and stepped back out of the room. Lance decided to change into different clothes while he waited and went over to his wardrobe. He pulled out a simple light blue dress with off the shoulder sleeves that went a little past his knees.

Lance glanced the door and bit his lip. He tentatively reached out with his mind, trying to communicate to the presence again. It was there, waiting for him.

‘Who are you?’ He asked.

It responded with an image of a blue lion that joined with other lions to for a giant robot. It also sent images of people in outfits that Lance knew were the paladins, with himself standing by them.

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. “What? But...why would I be with the paladins?”

Before the blue lion sent any other pictures, Lotor entered the room. “Lance? I’m ready to go with you.”

Lance looked at Lotor in concern. “The lion sent me an image of me, standing with the paladins. Why would it do that?”

Lotor bit his lip and seemed to think before answering. “Lance, there is something I haven’t told you yet because I didn’t want you to panic. Before Allura turned on Altea, she kept the peace with her generals, the paladins. There were five; Black, Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue. You were the Blue Paladin. You left though when you saw that Allura was becoming corrupted, taking the blue lion with you so that they couldn’t form their ultimate weapon, Voltron.”

Lance stared at Lotor in disbelief. “I was the Blue Paladin?” Lotor nodded.

Lance looked down processing the information. “But I left..I left so they couldn’t form Voltron. That’s good, right? I didn’t do anything bad, right?”

Lotor looked away. “You enslaved a few planets before you realized what you were doing was wrong, but you never killed anyone.” He looked back at Lance. “You have done lots of good since then though. You fight against Allura and her paladins.”

Lance looked at Lotor, this time with a fire in his eyes. “I want to continue fighting them till the universe can live in peace. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Lotor smiled. “Of course.”

\-----

Coran jumped up. “I found it!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at Coran. “You found where Lance is?” Keith asked.

Coran nodded and pulled up a projection of his screen. “Planet Herra. It sits in between two stars and has a surface of mostly rocky plains with the occasional lake and small patch of forest. It’s been deserted for a long time; a perfect place to hide.”

Shiro and Keith hurried over to the projection and studied the planet. It was small, and exactly like Coran said.

“When do we leave?” Pidge asked.

“Now,” Keith growled out.


	9. Chapter 9

The ship was in chaos. Guards ran about control panels, muttering and calling in new people back and forth. 

"Lotor, what's going on?" Lance asked, looking around. Lotor placed a hand on his shoulder gently, pulling his chin up to face the prince. 

"Do not worry, my love, it is nothing to concern yourself with." Lance smiled and kissed the alpha, cupping his face. 

"Don't get carried away up here, alright? I'm going to go lie down." Lotor kissed him on his cheek softy, right where the glowing marks of his heritage shown, and let him leave. Lance went back to their room where he laid down for a nap.

In his dream, flashes of memories ripped across his eyes, a presence calling out to him. 

"No, I'm not one of you anymore! I will not be a part of your tyranny!" Blue, the presence, called out t him again, another voice joining her cries. The voice was powerful, commanding, but also gentle and sad.

_"Lance! Lance, baby, come back! He's tricking you, he only wants to hurt you!"_ Suddenly, a new vision met him: his alpha, hovering above him then a needle with yellow fluid going into his neck. 

'He did trick me!' Lance thought. The memories came back in a flush, his alphas, Voltron, their mission; it all came to him. He flew up in the bed, eyes flashing open, just as Lotor came in. His face took on a look of sweet concern.

"Are you alright, Lance?" 

Lance debated confessing to him for the briefest second, telling him that he could remember, and that the prince was an awful person and didn't deserve his love. But Blue spoke a different message in his mind.

_Keep up the facade, cub. If you can keep his trust, you can learn his plans._ Brilliant. He silently thanked her, and smiled up at his... "mate."

"Yes, of course," he lied smoothly. "Just a bad dream." Lotor let a small smile grace his lips as he sat down on the bed next to the paladin, kissing his cheek.

"Don't worry, love, Voltron is coming! Then you can get your revenge on them for what they did to you." Lance gave his a caring smile. 

"Thank you, Alpha." Lotor guided him into a kiss, sensual and slow, and brushed his thumb over the Altean's cheek. 

"I love you," he whispered. 

"i love you too," Lance replied. 

\---

Keith paced back and forth across the hull, fists clenching at his sides. Shiro leaned against a chair, arms crossed, and watched Keith idly. 

"Keith, calm down," he commanded gently. "Lance will come back to us, he loves us."

"I just-" Keith growled, punching the nearest chair. "I want to kill him, Kashi! I want to kill Lotor for hurting our omega!" Shiro shot up and grasped Keith by his arms. 

"Keith, you gotta get control of yourself," he  pleaded. "You think I don't want that too? But we have to keep ourselves together, for the team, for him." Keith sighed and leaned his head on Shiro's chest.

"We need him back," Keith said, his voice breaking. Shiro shushed him softly and kissed his head.

"I know, I know."

Pidge suddenly ran in, out of breath, Hunk following close behind. 

"We're ready!" Pidge told them. "Everyone is here, we have a plan, and we're ready to go in as soon as you want." Keith looked up at Shiro.

"Let's go." Shiro nodded and looked back to the two paladins in the doorway.

"Get everyone in here, we have work to do."


	10. Chapter 10

The ship was in chaos. Guards ran about control panels, muttering and calling in new people back and forth. 

"Lotor, what's going on?" Lance asked, looking around. Lotor placed a hand on his shoulder gently, pulling his chin up to face the prince. 

"Do not worry, my love, it is nothing to concern yourself with." Lance smiled and kissed the alpha, cupping his face. 

"Don't get carried away up here, alright? I'm going to go lie down." Lotor kissed him on his cheek softy, right where the glowing marks of his heritage shown, and let him leave. Lance went back to their room where he laid down for a nap.

In his dream, flashes of memories ripped across his eyes, a presence calling out to him. 

"No, I'm not one of you anymore! I will not be a part of your tyranny!" Blue, the presence, called out t him again, another voice joining her cries. The voice was powerful, commanding, but also gentle and sad.

 _"Lance! Lance, baby, come back! He's tricking you, he only wants to hurt you!"_ Suddenly, a new vision met him: his alpha, hovering above him then a needle with yellow fluid going into his neck. 

'He did trick me!' Lance thought. The memories came back in a flush, his alphas, Voltron, their mission; it all came to him. He flew up in the ed, eyes flashing open, just as Lotor came in. His face took on a look of sweet concern.

"Are you alright, Lance?" 

Lance debated confessing to him for the briefest second, telling him that he could remember, and that the prince was an awful person and didn't deserve his love. But Blue spoke a different message in his mind.

 _Keep up the facade, cub. If you can keep his trust, you can learn his plans._ Brilliant. He silently thanked her, and smiled up at his... "mate."

"Yes, of course," he lied smoothly. "Just a bad dream." Lotor let a small smile grace his lips as he sat down on the bed next to the paladin, kissing his cheek.

"Don't worry, love, Voltron is coming! Then you can get your revenge on them for what they did to you." Lance gave his a caring smile. 

"Thank you, Alpha." Lotor guided him into a kiss, sensual and slow, and brushed his thumb over the Altean's cheek. 

"I love you," he whispered. 

"I love you too," Lance replied.

\---

Keith glanced around the vent, rolling his shoulders in the tight space. He was the last part in Voltron's plan to get Lance. He was to sneak in, wait for the distraction, extract Lance, and call everyone in when his omega was safe. The anger boiled at the thought of Lotor being in control of Lance, but it was quickly calmed by the thought of carving out his Galra heart. 

The crash that signaled the beginning of the distraction rumbled the ship, sending Keith forward into the grate that released him onto the floor. He tumbled out and drew his blade in a blind flush, spinning around to face any attackers. Finding himself alone, he quickly ran to the end of the hall he came out in, slamming the door to the bedroom open. Lance, who was asleep on the bed, lurched up and stared wide-eyed at his mate for a brief second, before launching himself off the bed and into Keith's arms. 

He breathed in his alpha's sent of warm cotton and gentle cinnamon, crying onto his shoulder. Keith, who had been standing star struck in this minute, suddenly burrowed his head into Lance's curls, kissing him harshly.

"Baby, we gotta go," he whispered, pulling away. Lance smiled and placed a hand on Keith's cheek. 

"I have a plan, but you gotta leave me here,  _mi amor,"_ Lance begged. Keith passed a glance over his face, locking on his eyes, and nodded. "In the mean time, you and Shiro will just have to share this." He pulled Keith close, pressing their lips together in a kiss that meant everything, then quickly backing away. "Now go!" Keith ran out, looking back only once, and crawled back through the vents and flew to the castle. 

"Everyone, come back to the ship, I have news!" He called weakly into the transmitter. After everyone had gotten back on the ship, and they had teleported away, Shiro came u to him and forced eye contact. 

"Where is he Keith?" Keith's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"He's alive, but he said he had a plan, and he made me leave him there, Kashi, I'm so sorry!" He charged into Shiro's arms, clawing into his back, as if trying to ground himself. Shiro glanced at the others and silently carried Keith to their room. "He said we had to share this," keith added once they had gotten on the bed. He kissed Shiro with the same force Lance had, and nuzzled into his chest. 

"So, now what? We just wait for Lotor to act?" Keith nodded solemnly. 

"It's his play, we just have to face the repercussions."

\---

Back on Lotor's ship, Lance paced in front of the Alpha angrily, stopping to glare at him occasionally. 

"You let them escape? After what they had me do? You promised me revenge!" Lotor grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop.

"Love, I promise we will. Just relax." Lance forced tears into his eyes, looking at Lotor. 

"You promised they'd pay, and now I'm the one who's paying. We should head an attack, call them to battle!" Lotor's eyes lit up and he drew Lance into both his arms.

"We can do just that!" He turned to his generals and pointed up at the large screen. "Contact Voltron, tell them to meet us in Sector Tiron, on planet Onreese, or they won't their precious omega alive!" He turned back to Lance and cupped his jaw in his long fingers. "You'll see them die, I promise." Lance smiled and leaned into Lotor's touch. He'd see his mates again, and end Lotor for good. 


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: It's been a while, huh??..... yeah sorry about that. But anyway, here's the next chapter. The next one is going to be crazy long, so have fun with this while I work on it.**

Lotor wasn't putting on his battle amour. Lance didn't know if it was cockiness, or kindness, but Lotor thought Lance would kill Voltron before they killed him. That would make this so much easier. Lance was already formulating a plan, thinking up ways to get into a fight Lotor wouldn't walk away from. His primary concern was getting back to his alphas, and he couldn't do that on this ship, with Lotor alive. 

So when Lotor wouldn't put on his amour on planet Onreese, the solution became clear to him. While fighting Shiro, Keith would kill Lotor. Not sound, but there. Trouble was, Lance didn't know Voltron's plans- what crazy scheme or stupid maneuver his alphas would pull off to save him. He needed to find a way to communicate with them somehow. 

Then it came to him- Blue. Blue could pass his thoughts- hopefully more organized in time- to his team. He needed to work up something that would ensure Lotor's death. 

"My love?" Lotor cut into his thoughts, looming over him in his royal garb, his hands clasped behind him.

"Yes?" Lotor pulled him close, looking into his eyes.

"This is for your own good." Swiftly, with the hand that wasn't holding Lance's waist, he pushed a needle into Lance's throat, injecting more of that foul liquid into his veins. 

Lance cried out and dropped- he could feel the blurriness creeping back, along with love for his alpha, Lotor, and hatred for the rebels known as Voltron. Before he could shut her out, he sent a frantic message to Blue for Keith and Shiro.  _Please, tell them I love them. I love them. I-_

He looked up at Lotor. "Lotor? What... what happened?" Lotor smiled at him, eyes gleaming with something he couldn't quite place. 

"You fell darling, are you alright?" Lance nodded and accepted the hand in front of him, which jerked him up into Lotor's hold. "Are you ready to face your enemies?" Lance nodded once more, smile crumbling from his cheeks. 

"I'll ensure their deaths." Lotor pulled him away with a laugh. 

\---

On the castle of Lions, Keith was pacing furiously, his teammates around the dining table, arguing over their best course of action. 

"If we send me in to infiltrate the ship, I can jump it somewhere where Lotor won't have back up," Pidge offered. Hunk shook his head. 

"Then you'd have to find your way back, and they'd just follow. How about we get in on the ground, set up the castle with defenses, and offer some kind of trade- Black for Lance and blue!"

"Then we lose our most powerful weapon," Allura cut in. "We need something practical." Keith angrily slammed his hands on the table, drawing the team's eyes. 

"We get on the ground. Propose hand to hand combat for Lance's life. Send me in, I'll win- then we'll have him back." The others looked ready to argue, but Shiro held up a glowing hand. 

"Are you sure you'll win?" Keith didn't hesitate to nod. "We'll do it." Just then, Lance's voice cut over the loud speakers, seeming frantic. 

 _"Please, tell them I love them. I love them. I-"_ He cut out in a rush of static. 

"How the hell?" Keith started, but Pidge was just as quick. 

"Blue. It was Blue." Shiro waited for anymore noise, but none came. He stood, a grave look on his face. 

"We have to go. We have to find them, and get him back." Keith nodded and ran to the bow. 

"Coran!" He called. The older man came out from under a control panel, twiddling his mustache. "Send word to Lotor- hand to hand combat for Lance's life. He'll be facing the Red Palladin. We meet at dawn." 


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here it is boiiiiiissssss.**

Onreese was a dry, hot planet, windy and dusty like an earthly dessert, but all the dust was a vibrant shade of violet. The color reminded Lance of something, but he couldn't remember what. Crew had docked several vargas ago, and Lance had been traing with Lotor in wait, broadsword in hand. It wasn't his bayard- that had refused to activate- but instead one of Lotor's. 

Lotor held his own sword, strong and elegant in every lethal stroke. Lance was keeping his feet, but tiring. Lotor didn't look like he was trying at all. Finally the alpha managed to pin the omega, sword pointed at his throat. 

"I yeild!" Lance called. Lotor helped him to stand, then grabbed his sword from where it'd been knocked from his grip. 

"Careful where you balance yourself, your opponent will not hesitate to strike you down." Lance nodded and swallowed hard.

"Again." Lotor shook his head. 

"My generals need me. We don't know if Voltron will try to attack while I'm distracted with the Red Palladin. Rest, love, and prepare to celebrate my victory."

\---

Keith sat quietly in the red lion. He'd tried everything to get the awful feeling out of his heart-training for hours, talking to Shiro, lots of sex- but the only thing that seemed to get him out of his own head was staring at the stars. He couldn't name the constellations in this part of the galaxy, but Lance had taught him all the ones that could be seen from earth with Allura's hologram tech. His eyes always seemed to light up when he talked about the clear nights in Cuba, where he could see everything. The thought made him smile, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. 

Red purred in the back of his mind, trying to comfort him best she knew how, and he laughed humorlessly. 

"Thanks," he whispered. He looked down at his hands, and a hundred thoughts flashed into his mind.

These hands, calloused and cut and bruised and broken, that had been held so tenderly and squeezed so tightly and clasped and kissed with the same ferociousness as a gun shot. Lance's thin, dark, soft hands with a trigger's blister marking between his index and thumb, had held this hands, cried on these hands. 

Before he could stop himself, he cried on them too.

\---

The castle pressed down on the purple sand, casting dust in all directions. The door hissed open, allowing the Paladins, Allura, and Coran to come out onto their would-be battlefield. Lance and Lotor stood, side by side, Lance's rifle poised at the ready. Lotor had his sword in his hand, hair cascading in a waterfall of white down his back, and a grin decorating his face. 

Keith stepped forward, bayard transforming in his grip, and rolled his shoulders, eyes on Lance. 

"Shall we, Paladin?" Lotor asked, cocking his head. 

"It's on." Lotor snorted and stepped up.

"Eloquent, as always." Keith ran at him, sword swinging down to strike, and Lotor met him with a crash of metal and sparks and anger. 

Keith pushed at him, ever the offensive, seething just below the surface. Every swing was furious and powerful and careless and dangerous, impossible to predict and incredible to watch. Lotor defended valiantly, smirk unwavering. He wielded his weapon with poise and practicality, refuting calmly and cunningly and beautifully and disastrous, a perfect poison of grace.

Seeing the two fight was light dancing in the stars of night, wind blowing cherry blossoms into fire, birds flying through tornadoes. A gorgeous catastrophe, a beautiful tragedy. Neither looked away, neither took a breath or a beat, neither fell for what felt like days. Just when one seemed to have the upper hand, the other struck back with fantastic force, moving things to the ever-so-delicate balance of power they'd had only seconds before. 

Around them, Lotor's generals cheered and clapped, yelling advice or insults at Keith. Voltron just watched in silence, fear stricken on their faces. Well, excluding Shiro. Shiro yelled directly at Lance, calling for him to help them, to wake up and get out of there. Lance didn't know what he was talking about, but it rung a bell with him, somehow.

He looked at the team that had destroyed lives, killed people, taken over planets- and he felt  _bad_ for them. He felt like he knew them, and it hurt. Lotor wouldn't lie to him, not about something like this. His alpha loved him, and wouldn't hurt him, or someone he cared about, right?

_When did he start caring about Voltron?_

He was broken out of his thoughts by a standstill in the fight. Both alphas were breathing hard, sweat glistening on their brows, sword hands shaking. 

"Lance," Keith wheezed, "you can put a stop to this. Just tell him, baby." Lance sneered.

"You don't call me that. You've done horrible things, and I won't take part any longer. I won't do anything until my lover falls." Keith's eyes seemed to fill with something, and Lotor's eyes flashed, smile quirking his lips. He suddenly whipped his arm up, slashing across the back of the paladin's suit, and Keith yelled, pain marring his features.  He fell to his knees and Lance felt his heart squeeze. Shiro met his eyes and suddenly he  _knew_ that Lotor had lied. He didn't know quite what was going on, but it wasn't what his alpha had told him. He gripped the rifle and swung it towards Lotor. He took a deep breath, eyes welling with tears, and pulled the trigger. Lotor then swung forward, burning hole through his head, and laid in the dirt. 

Dead. 

Shiro ran forward, scooping Keith up by his armpits, and dragging him to the castle, where Lance ran to follow. The guards brought out their weapons, hot to chase, but one called out a command in another language, and they collected Lotor and retreated to the ship. With no regard for Lance, they took off, leaving the omega alone with who he thought were his enemies. Or, could be. 

He looked around at them, and transformed his rifle into a longsword. 

"Someone is going to tell me what's going on!" The yellow paladin smiled and stepped forward, but Lance raised the sword. "Don't come near me. Who are you? What do want with me?" The green paladin looked at him now, and took off their helmet. A curious girl met his gaze, brown hair a mess about her head, and eyes soft and concerned. 

"Lance, you know us. We're your friends, we love you. Fellow paladins, pilots of Voltron. Remember?" 

"That is  _not_ what Lotor told me. How am I supposed to trust you?" No one answered for a beat, and suddenly his head burned, like something was trying to get in. 

He screamed,  _it hurt oh God it hurt so bad hewasgonnadie_ , and he blacked out.


End file.
